Worth Living
by redrose7856
Summary: Edmund's POV during the dungeon scene in LWW  movie-verse  and on Tumnus's fate versus his own.


**Disclaimer: I do not own "Narnia". If I did, well, let's just say that Michael Apted and his so called "writers" wouldn't be messing with a certain King and Queen's characters in VDT.**

**A/N: Please do not flame this, it was a random idea I had.**

Edmund stared at his cellmate. Tumnus the Faun. Friend to Lucy. The one who'd saved her from the White Witch.

_And thank God for that,_ Edmund thought suddenly, looking down at the chains that wrapped around his ankles like cold fists, reminding him of his stupidity with each clanking move.

Tumnus was watching Edmund keenly, his blue eyes shifting from boy to bread.

Edmund slid across the icy floor to where Tumnus lay and handed him the bread.

Instantly, he started eating it. Edmund stared, wondering what could have happened to have made the poor faun so hungry that he'd eat stale, moldy bread.

"You're Lucy Pevensie's brother," Tumnus said suddenly, and without any emotion, as if it was a fact that everyone knew and he was simply stating.

"I'm Edmund," the boy replied with a sort of nod, uncertain as to one greeted a faun.

Still chewing, Tumnus nodded, as if he'd already known that as well. Though maybe Lucy had told him about her siblings. One of Tumnus' fingers flicked up to brush the tip of his nose.

"You have the same nose," he remarked.

Edmund rubbed his own nose, as much to assure himself of that fact as to attempt to ward away cold.

"Is your sister all right?" Tumnus asked with a sudden passion that surprised Edmund. The boy looked at him. He'd stopped chewing and was staring intently at Edmund, as if the fate of Lucy had ended his hunger. "Is she _safe_?" he asked.

Edmund stared at him. They were imprisoned, probably until they froze to death or were tortured or executed, and this faun, who barely knew Lucy, was concerned for her above himself?

A wolf's snarl cut through the stillness and both looked up at it. Edmund remembered the wolves' howls with a shudder.

"I don't know," he said miserably. _What have I done_?

Tears blurred his vision, threatening to choke him as he pictured Peter, Susan, the Beavers, and Lucy – sweet, innocent Lucy – being attacked by those monsters.

His moment of grief was cut short as the doors to the prison opened and the Witch strode in, followed as always by the dwarf.

Edmund stared at her, hearing the rattling of chains as Tumnus scrambled back to his corner, bread in hand.

"My wolves tore that dam apart," the Witch announced.

Edmund's breath got stuck somewhere between his lungs and his mouth and he stared at her in horror.

"Your little family was nowhere to be found," she continued.

Edmund's breath left him in a _whoosh_, showing as a whitish plume of vapor in the cold air.

"Where did they go?" the Witch demanded, hauling Edmund off the floor with one hand.

"I don't know!" he protested as the chains clanked beneath his feet.

She hurled him back onto the ground with a loud thud.

"Then you're of no further use to me," she said simply, raising her wand.

"Wait!" Edmund cried. "The Beaver said something about Aslan!"

Silence hit the cold room.

"Aslan?" The Witch repeated. "Where?"

Tumnus' voice cut off anything Edmund could think to say.

"He's a stranger here, Your Majesty, he can't be expected to know anything!"

The dwarf instantly strode over to him and smacked him with the pike. The faun's yelp caused Edmund to shudder in horror.

The Witch barely spared Tumnus a glance.

"I said, where is Aslan?" she demanded.

Edmund looked at Tumnus, who was shooting him and look that was half pleading, half glaring.

"I don't know," he stammered. "I left before they said anything…I wanted to see you!"

A faint smile graced her lips, but it was one of contempt. She believed that.

For a moment, her gaze shifted from him to Tumnus and then back.

"Guard!" she called.

Instantly, an ogre was at her side. "Release the faun!"

The ogre did as he was told, and Edmund winced as Tumnus moaned in agony when his chains were loosed. The faun was dragged over to the Witch. She looked at him.

"Do you know why you're here, faun?" she asked.

Tumnus struggled upright, seemingly with every last bit of strength he had.

"Because I believe in a free Narnia," he said in a proud, defiant voice.

The Witch smiled in amusement.

"You're here," she said, pointing her wand at Edmund, "Because _he_ turned you in. For sweeties."

Tumnus looked at Edmund, all of his strength appearing to leave him as he slumped on the ice, his expression turning from defiance, to confusion, to anger.

The Witch looked at her guard.

"Take him upstairs," she commanded, "And ready my sleigh."

She looked at Edmund. "Edmund misses his family."

Tumnus was dragged out, still glaring at Edmund. The party left and Edmund sobbed for his stupidity, his arrogance, his family, and for Tumnus.

Several minutes later, he was being led out of the castle and into the courtyard, to where the Witch was waiting.

His foot barely on the top step, he froze, staring at the newest statue.

Though he grimaced with pain and his blue eyes were closed, there was no mistaking the muffler or the horns. It was Tumnus.

The Witch's voice cut through Edmund's thoughts.

"Whenever you're ready, Son of Adam."

Her voice held contempt and disgust; clearly, she didn't think Edmund was worthy to be a son of Adam.

Edmund stumbled towards the sleigh, his vision again blurred by tears, this time for Tumnus.

He'd been a friend and a protector to Lucy, possibly the best friend she'd ever had.

He could've been a friend to Edmund, too. At the very least, he'd protected him from the Witch.

The faun had had something worth living for. He'd had hope in a newfound freedom.

And he'd died for it.

Edmund had nothing to live for.

And he was the one still alive.

**Hopefully this isn't too lame or anything, please review, but no flames please. I'm perfectly warm as it is, thanks!**


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